


A Break

by warlockdetective



Category: A Series of Unfortunate Events - Lemony Snicket
Genre: Brief Intrusions, Canon-Typical Behavior, Other, POV Second Person, Reader can be seen as the Editor, besides this everything's pretty tame
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-24
Updated: 2020-05-24
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:22:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,299
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24350503
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/warlockdetective/pseuds/warlockdetective
Summary: Every now and then, it's recommended that you take a break from what you're working on; if you don't give your body the opportunity to recharge itself, it's likely that you'll burn yourself out.
Relationships: Lemony Snicket/Reader
Comments: 1
Kudos: 20





	1. A Rest

**Author's Note:**

> This has been a work in progress for a _long_ while now, and I'm honestly so excited to have finished it!  
> I want to give quick thanks to [VFDBaudelaireFile13](https://archiveofourown.org/users/VFDBaudelaireFile13/pseuds/VFDBaudelaireFile13) for giving me the help I needed for wrapping things up; I honestly don't know what I would've done without it.  
> Honest feedback is appreciated.

Every now and then, it's recommended that you take a break from what you're working on; if you don't give your body the opportunity to recharge itself, it's likely that you'll burn yourself out.

As much as you don't want to admit it, you need a break more than anything. You aren't used to still being awake very late at night (or very early in the morning, depending on how you look at it), and your body is suffering the consequences of it; you find yourself somewhat achy and spacey, and you have to keep yourself from dozing off.

In between moments of trying to keep yourself awake and trying to work, you find yourself thinking about how you used to do this pretty often quite some time ago. However, over time the reasons you kept yourself awake had gone from simply being absentminded of the time to being too stubborn to let yourself rest.

You don't notice Lemony stop typing and stand up; you're far too zoned out trying to make sense of the documents in front of you to notice much of anything. When he calls your name, you're almost startled out of your chair before you turn to face him, a look of concern on his face as he asks if you're alright.

You quickly reassure him that you've done this a few times before, and that you'll be fine. You're about to turn back to your work when you catch a glimpse of Lemony's face; he doesn't even have to say anything for you to know that there's something about what you said that he finds off. He asks you when you last did something like this, and the falter in your voice betrays the confident front you had put up. Before you get a chance to ask him the same question, he admits that while he's used to keeping himself awake for a long period of time, he hadn't stopped to think if you were, as well.

You're about to tell him that you'll be alright when he offers you a hand to stand. It isn't until you take it and stand that you realize just how long you had been sitting, and the exhaustion you've been trying to fight off hits you like a wave. It's at this that you finally admit to him (but mainly yourself) that, yeah, you could use a break right about now. He tells you to take a seat on the couch, and he'll look to see if he has anything interesting to watch.

It takes everything in you to stop yourself from sinking into the couch as you take a seat; you've never found it to be overly comfy, but right now it feels like you're laying down on a decent hotel bed after fourteen hours on the road. You admit that you never really pictured him to be the movie type, and he tells you that years ago he had an old friend whose filmography was well known throughout the organization. You must make a face when he's telling you some of the names of the films, because he adds that the films were made more for telling codes than entertainment purposes, though perhaps some of them could come across as unintentional comedies.

You don't catch the name of the movie Lemony ends up choosing before you fall asleep. The last thing you remember seeing before slipping into unconsciousness is a black and white shot of a town with the text "Vitiated Film Distribution Presents a Film by Gustav Sebald" overlaying it.

You wake up a few hours later to a blanket carefully draped over you and a cup of tea sitting on the coffee table across from you; while there isn't any steam coming from it, the cup is still warm. You carefully take a sip, and the flavor that greets you is an odd mix of sweet and bitter. You can't help but wonder if it tastes the way it does because there isn't any sugar in it or if it's just how the blend is. Regardless, it's not a bad cup of tea.

Lemony steps into the room a moment after you've gotten used to the taste of the drink. He's about to sit at his desk when he notices that you're now awake. Before he can ask if he woke you up, you tell him that you've been awake for a couple of minutes now. He admits that he made your tea around the same time as his own instinct, and he asks if it's alright or needs to be reheated. You tell him it's alright, a wave of relief washing over him.

He's about to get to work when you call his name, his full attention back to you. Abashed, you apologize for falling asleep before the movie really began, but he waves you off. He admits that once you've seen the movies often enough to know their codes before their title cards come up, it can be easy to drift off during them. Besides, he adds, you needed to give yourself some rest. You can't hide the smile on your face, even as you take another sip of tea. For a moment you can't think of a response, so at first you don't say a word; you found last night to be a simple yet kind gesture, but you don't want it to go unmentioned.

And so, once you set the now empty cup back on the table, you simply thank him. He looks surprised for a moment; it's as if he hadn't expected you to mention it at all. But then he smiles softly, warmly, as he responds  _ of course _ , and there's something about it that makes your heart flutter. A look of concern overtakes it as he asks if you're feeling alright, and upon noticing the look of confusion on your face, he tells you that you look a little flushed. Despite how flustered you are, you manage to tell him that some mornings your face is rosier than others.

You aren't sure if Lemony buys the story you improvised or not, but he nods in acknowledgement regardless. With that, you set the blanket on the other side of the couch and stand up. You're about to get to work yourself when Lemony calls your name, bringing your attention to him. He asks if there's anything else you need, to which you tell him you're alright, but before he gets himself back to work, you thank him again. You catch a glimpse of his smile before you turn to your own work, and it makes your heart go fluttery again.


	2. A Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Exhaustion is something that, regardless if someone gets an average of nine or barely two hours of sleep per night, you can easily spot if you know the person well enough.

Exhaustion is something that, regardless if someone gets an average of nine or barely two hours of sleep per night, you can easily spot if you know the person well enough. Be it something about their eyes seeming heavier than usual or perhaps seeming spacier than usual, there's often telltale signs plain in sight if you look for them.

Lemony Snicket is exhausted; nothing could be more apparent to you at this moment. Part of you feels like he's aware of how tired he is, but for some reason he isn't letting himself take a break. Actually, now that you think of it, the last time you saw him get up from his desk was when he made tea in the early hours of the morning. Not only was that  _ long  _ ago, you thought he looked too tired to have just woken up then. His cup of tea is barely halfway empty, and it must be cold by now if it's been sitting out as long as you think it has.

You're about to get up and make some tea yourself when another realization comes to you: Lemony only made one cup of tea this morning, and that cup was the one he gave to you, meaning the cup at his desk has been sitting out even longer than you originally thought. You remember Lemony telling you that he was used to staying awake for a long period of time, but at the time you figured he meant a few hours more than average at  _ most _ , not  _ this _ .

Setting your cup on the counter near the kettle, you turn your attention back to Lemony. He's rubbing his temples and staring absentmindedly at the work in front of him when you call his name, but he doesn't seem to hear you; a telltale sign of stubborn exhaustion, in your book. You gently rest a hand on his shoulder when you say his name again, which is enough to grab his attention but (fortunately) not really startle him. You mention that you’re making another cup of tea for yourself, and you ask if he’d like any. He seems to pause for a brief instant, as if he’s now taking a moment to register the time. His gaze returns to you as he obliges, bringing himself to a stand as you return to the kettle.

The quiet of the room brings you to look around somewhat before your eyes fall to Lemony again, who now sits in the chair just next to yours. The exhaustion is prevalent in his eyes, in his posture...you find yourself wondering if he ever lets himself really rest when you register that he’s looking back at you. Before you can look elsewhere, he asks if everything’s alright, a tired yet warm sort of worry to his tone, and you find yourself so strongly tempted to repeat the same question to him. Instead, you admit another, somewhat quieter, truth; you can’t help but wonder about the city sometimes, and how one place can stay so constant despite its changes. You pause for a moment before you ask if there’s anything he misses about the place, and his answer comes sooner and softer than you expected it to.

He tells you about a café he used to be a much more frequent patron of many years prior that, while it seemed to have more of its share of cons compared to pros, was still open for business. He mentions that when he was last there, the seats were in desperate need of a reupholstering, but the root beer floats were as good as they always were. You admit that you're a bit surprised that the two of you haven't gone there yet. A soft laugh escapes him at that. After a moment, he tells you he'll have to find a way to work it into his schedule, maybe once everything's over. You ask if he's referring to when the case ends or when his enemies give up searching for him, to which he admits that he'll have to see where the road leads in the long run. You suppose that's a fair point.

It's a brisk Autumn night and the heater broke several nights before this one, yet you feel a comfortable warmth in the apartment as you talk with Lemony. You wonder when the two of you last had a conversation as casual as this, be it with each other or with anyone else. You aren’t sure what it is about a joke you break at one point, but it makes him break into a fit of laughter so unapologetically genuine that it feels as if you’ve seen the sun for the first time in your life. Something about it all makes you almost disappointed when you hear the kettle whistle, bringing the lull of the conversation to a gradual still. The calm of it all seems to remain, however; even as the minutes pass, and even as the drinks have long since lost their steam.

He's talking in an almost hushed tone of voice when he thanks you. You’re about to ask him what for, only to turn and find him deep in sleep; he really  _ was  _ exhausted. For a moment you find yourself wondering if he could be pretending, but frankly you can’t really imagine him doing so. You carefully drape the first blanket you can find over him, and a sad smile comes to you then: you can't remember the last time you've ever seen the man so calm.

With that, you take your cups to the sink and go back to your work. You aren't sure how long he'll let himself sleep, but you feel content in the fact that he's allowing himself to rest, even if it's just for a moment.


	3. An Intrusion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes not every break is voluntary.

Sometimes not every break is voluntary. Occasionally, you'll run out of the materials you need to work on something, such as ribbon ink for your typewriter, lead for your pencils, paints for your drawings, or the words from your dictionary. Sometimes if you drive your body to the point of exhaustion, you will most certainly black out. Sometimes, however, your enemies will arrive at your door in the middle of the night with the full intention of making sure you don't finish what you're working on under  _ any circumstances _ .

It just so happens that one night you're drawn from your work by a loud, frantic knock on the door. You're about to answer it when you notice that Lemony's already there. You're about to ask who could be at the door at this hour when you notice the expression on his face as he listens to see if there's another knock, and it's then that you realize two things:

  1. All of Lemony's associates use various coded knocks. When the knock comes again, it becomes obvious to the two of you that what you heard was none of them.
  2. Whoever knocked on the door wasn't alone. Listening closely, you hear two from behind the door trying to discuss something, only for a third voice to intervene.



When you try to hear if there's anyone else besides the three of them, you're instead greeted by the loud  **_THUD_ ** of someone slamming against the door, startling you away from it while Lemony swiftly latches it shut. You can’t exactly say the  _ what  _ about all of this surprises you, but the  _ when _ ? Yeah, you’d be lying if you said you could see this coming. There’s a brief flash in Lemony’s eyes that tells you he might be on the same page, but it’s hard to see his face clearly with how (understandably) fast he’s moving right now. You ask him what the plan is as he secures several documents into a suitcase, and he begins to tell you of a way out, if you’re careful enough.

He tells you that the fire escape will descend to the left side of the building. When you get to the pavement, don't head towards the main street: if there's more than the three people you heard lurking about, someone's bound to be keeping watch out front. If you want to avoid getting their attention, you'll need to use the alleyway behind the building; whoever's behind the door arrived not too long ago, and if there's anyone else it's unlikely that they've thought to station someone there yet. Once you're there, you'll have to take the second left you see and go in the third door of the fourth building you come across; the first door is simply that of a supply room, the second door doesn't actually open, and the third door will take you to the back entrance of a motel.

You must not be hiding your fear as well as you thought, as Lemony pauses for a moment, and when he sees the look on your face, he gently takes your hands in his. He admits that what you'll need to do is easier said than done, but he assures you that you'll be alright. You ask what'll happen to him, to which he's silent for a moment before he responds that he'll be fine. While his voice has a confident demeanor, you can tell by the look in his eyes that he's not entirely sure if he believes what he's saying. The thuds against the door are growing more frequent, and the latches look as if they're about to come loose any second. Lemony peaks outside the curtains before he opens the window, handing you the suitcase as he tells you the last of what you need to know about what you'll need to do.

He tells you that the check-in desk runs during late hours, but not for long; they'll be closing within the hour. One of two managers will be there to greet you; it’s best that you are wary when talking to them, but it’s considered rude to ask who they are. Regardless of whether or not a room is available, you must ask for the fifth room the motel has open. If the manager hands you the key with a code, you are safe. If the manager  _ doesn’t _ , you must  _ run _ . With a brave front and a firm nod, you climb out the window, the suitcase as close to your chest as you can manage to hold it.

There's a phrase Lemony utters that stops you in your tracks and almost makes you completely lose your footing in shock: I love you.

Before you can respond you hear the door burst open, and Lemony closes the window and pulls the curtains shut, leaving him alone with whoever was behind the door. Your head is spinning, your body's numb, and you feel like you're about to collapse, but you know you can't afford to stop and take a breath. You don't know the full extent of how many enemies are around nearby, but you know that if you want to get to your destination as safe as you can, you have to move  _ fast  _ and  _ now _ . Your grip is tight on the suitcase as you run down the stairs of the fire escape, trying to move as fast and far as your pace will allow you while trying to make as little noise as you can. You refuse to let yourself stop moving; even after the occasional misstep or the fact that you swear you heard a cry of pain, you force yourself to push your thoughts back and keep your gaze on the stairs.

You're about to step onto the concrete when you suddenly feel someone grab your wrist, their nails digging into your skin. Terror runs through you when you find yourself face-to-face with an agent grinning wickedly at you, and they're about to pull you off somewhere when you hear someone on the main street question the agents who must be there. This distracts the agent just long enough for you to pull yourself out of their grasp and, with as much speed and might as you can muster, swing the suitcase into them. A sudden  _ thud  _ startles you enough to take a step back, and you find yourself both surprised yet relieved that you’ve knocked them out cold.  _ Good _ , that seemed to be the only agent after you, but that doesn't lower your guard.

Adrenaline courses through you as you run through the alleyway; you can’t recall if you’re supposed to take a left at the second or third chance you see, and the sounds of the sirens and chatter on the main street only add to the overwhelming energy. You chance the second left, and the sudden  _ emptiness  _ of this section of the alleyway brings forward a new sense of anxiety. To think that anyone could see you...to think anyone could hear you… _ The third door _ , you frantically think as you try to push that dread aside.  _ Third door, third door _ ...You can’t pin whose footsteps are your own and whose are those on the main street, and panic is seeping through you as you fumble with the door, falling against it as you finally make your way inside.

A stairwell greets you almost immediately, and you can spot what must be an elevator not much farther in the distance. It’s much quieter where you find yourself now compared to where you just were, though you wonder if part of that has to do with how still you’re keeping yourself now. Your breathing is uneasy and you can feel your heart frantically thrumming in your chest, but you don’t trust your surroundings enough to rest just yet, as tempting as it may be.

A sigh leaves you as you force yourself off of the door and walk past the stairwell. The lobby that eventually presents itself is an interesting mix of casual and refined, and the floors in particular look clean to the point where you wonder if everything here is actually just new. As you listen to the echo of your footsteps, a flurry of questions swims into your mind: Is this the right place? Did someone manage to follow you here? When you go back to the apartment, will it be truly safe there? What was Lemony's plan of action? Is he even--?

A man asking if he can be of assistance cuts your thoughts off and brings your attention to the check-in desk. You find yourself face-to-face with an almost expectant looking receptionist, and a part of you can't help but wonder if he's just normally like this or if this is really a sign that you're at the right place. As you try to recall the advice you were told moments ago, you decide it’s for the best if you don’t ask his name. You consider telling a story about how you’re from out of town and there’s been a family emergency, but you ultimately decide it’s wise to not push your luck as you ask for the fifth open room.

As the receptionist hands you your room key, he tells you that he didn't realize it was a sad occasion. Hearing this gives you the answer to one of your questions, yet you still find yourself lost in a web of confusion. You want to ask him questions until you have the answers you're looking for, but a weary sigh escapes you when you come to the conclusion that it wouldn't help you in the long run. Right now you're tired and stressed in ways you hadn't imagined possible in the past, and although you know it won't be easy, you need to give your mind a break. With your plan decided, you give the response to the code: "The world is quiet here."


	4. A Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Three months have passed since the intrusion, yet you haven't heard a single word from him or any of his associates.

Heavy rain is falling outside of your window, and it's the kind that makes it hard to concentrate on what's in front of you. However, it's also the kind that's perfect for days where you can only muster enough energy to dwell on your thoughts. With that, you set your work down and begin to do just that. At first your thoughts are related to the weather; it's the first rainfall you've seen in a good couple of weeks, and you frankly feel a little bad for the people who have to be out in it. Then, however, your thoughts drift to Lemony.

Three months have passed since the intrusion, yet you haven't heard a single word from him or any of his associates.

During the time you were away from the apartment, you somehow managed to reassure yourself with an old saying that, while it was still around, must have been more popular in VFD many years prior: get scared later. But then later comes--then you return to the apartment--and despite how hard you try not to be, you're terrified.

Part of you wants to try and contact him, but you don't even know where he is or if it's safe to try contacting him at all, let alone if he's even--

He's fine. You aren't too sure where he is, but he's  _ fine _ . Considering that none of his associates have tried to send you a coded message either warning you that Lemony was in grave danger or telling you news you don't want to imagine hearing, he has to be.

The thought is drawn to a very abrupt halt when you hear a knock on the door. A cold chill runs through you as you turn to face it, and you now find yourself wondering whether it would be best to answer the door or try to escape. Before you're given the chance to make a choice, the knock comes again, same as before; hearing this is when you realize that the knock is actually coded. It's soon after the realization that you hear what sounds like someone shuffling through their keys, and you reach for the doorknob before your judgement can intervene.

Opening the door, you find yourself face-to-face with a somewhat disheveled and rain-soaked Lemony, and you're at a loss for words; the man who you were beginning to fear the worst about is now standing right in front of you, and saying you're overwhelmed would be an understatement. He starts to tell you that he wasn't sure if you were here or not, but before he finishes his sentence you pull him into an embrace, tears you've failed to hold back streaming down your face. He stiffens somewhat for a moment, a bit caught off guard by your actions, before he returns the embrace, and it's when he exhales a shaky sigh that you notice he's crying too.

You want to ask what happened soon after you left the apartment, and you want to ask how he's even here right now, but you find yourself far too overwhelmed to fluently speak. And so you pull him deeper into your embrace and breathe a sigh of relief, because right now the hows aren't important. What's important is that Lemony Snicket is here, and he's alright. What's important is that you are here, and you're alright.

_ Both of you are here. _


End file.
